Beach Acts I-XI
by BGG
Summary: As if on instinct he knew that he needed to be home, and she needed to be as far away as possible. Finnick returns to District 4 after the events of Mockingjay (AU, Finnick lives) with Katniss to help each other heal. Finnick x Katniss. A story in 11 segments. Oneshot. M for infrequent coarse language and adult themes


**A/N. Contains character death, sexual references and some coarse language. ****Trigger warning for attempted suicide. ****Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games nor the characters in this story**

_I._

When it's all over he takes her to District 4. To the beaches. They are one of the most beautiful things she's ever seen; fierce in their own way. Katniss is captivated by the crystal blue and green shades that shimmer and change in the sunlight. As if on instinct he knew that he needed to be home, and she needed to be as far away as possible.

_II._

He doesn't cry when they scatter Annie's ashes between the waves, but she does. She lets him hold her close, knowing he would find his release in just that. Listening to the relentless crashes of the ocean, Finnick feels his grief in waves, washing over him unrelentingly until he can no longer differentiate between the shakes of the girl wrapped in his strong arms and the convulsions that wrack his own broken body.

_III._

They spend their days exploring the tides together, Finnick's hand always firmly guiding her lower back. Katniss doesn't mind how protective he is. It's his way of reminding himself that there are some things in his life that he can still control. She needs it too. She isn't the same fearless Mockingjay she once was. They splash and play, exerting energy and soaking up the readily-given Vitamin D. Their tears of joy and sorrow alike mix and merge with the salty water that coats their skin, bathing their wounds the way only salt water can.

_IV._

He craves her in the most innocent way; he misses the warmth of bodies. Together they scrape and collect what little warmth and love they have left in their empty souls and huddle together, their meagre findings just enough to fend off the demons that prey especially at night.

_V._

When that supply is no longer enough, they begin to make their own. It's always outside on the soft sand, under the cover of the vast, encompassing sky, the ocean providing the soundtrack to their performance. Their bodies move together, sometimes in the dark of the new moon and sometimes in the light of the full moon. These are the nights when Finnick can see the emotions play out on her face. Emptiness. Desperation. Need. Love. Sorrow. Bliss. He clutches her hips like a lifeline, knowing that she'll find handprints there the next day, but he relishes the way they move with him in the dark. Neither of them mind the marks left behind, the clawing down Finnick's back and the love bites that litter Katniss's neck and chest. Katniss revels in the grains of sand that she finds days afterwards, hidden in every crevice of her body, reminding her of the cracks that still run deep within her being. Reminding her of the nights where Finnick would glue them back together again, if only for a little while.

_VI._

The day the news of Peeta's death reaches them, Katniss doesn't shed a tear. Finnick watches as she stoically walks from the tiny shack onto the warm sand and straight into the crashing waves. The surf is harsh and this is the first time Katniss has braved the waters alone. Finnick watches from the shore until he realises that she hasn't broken for air in minutes. When his strong arms encase her fragile body and wrench her from the waves she splutters violently, coughing up the water she tried to force down. She battles hard against the larger man, but whatever strength she'd gained in The Games has been stripped from her body. Eventually she collapses into his arms and lets him carry her back to shore, sleep enveloping her on the way. He wonders if she regrets not trying harder.

_VII._

That night he fucks her so hard that the next day bruises stain every inch of skin he touched, and the grains of sand still appear a month later. Finally she feels alive.

_VIII._

Haymitch is their first visitor. Purple bags hang from his eyes but he's three months sober and looks good. Katniss enjoys having him around. Some nights she falls asleep in his arms, so different to the feel of Finnick's, but just as strong, as supportive. He places a gentle kiss on her head when he declines her offer to go swimming the 37th day he's there. "You two have fun, Sweetheart." When Katniss runs up the beach to grab a towel hours later she finds his body surrounded by bottles. A single piercing scream reaches Finnick. She clutches Haymitch, desperately rocking back and forth and screaming profanities at the lifeless body. Once again Finnick's strong arms encase Katniss as this time he wrenches a piece of broken glass from her shaking fingers. "Let me, Finnick! Let me do it," She whispers, voice broken, dead eyes boring into his own. "I don't want to stay, I don't want to stay, I don't want to…" Finnick considers it. How quickly they could both leave this place. Join Haymitch, and Peeta, and Annie. He wonders when he became the strong one, when exactly the Girl on Fire became so broken. Haymitch is their last visitor.

_IX._

One day Finnick finds Katniss staring into space. "Where can I put it down, Finnick?" It's only after he asks what she wants to put down he realises. Sobs wrack her body and he scoops her up effortlessly and holds her in his lap, running his fingers along her arms and rubbing soothing circles on her back. He litters her head and face with kisses, extracting a whimper every time his lips gently graze her skin. Her head rests against his chest and she begins to breathe in time with his heartbeat. His arms offer her protection, a promise that these two broken souls will someday heal each other.

_X._

Slowly their days become better, more good than bad. Katniss learns to cook, first the few dishes that Peeta had shown her and then she expands to gourmet meals and fresh produce. The challenge is enough to distract her. Finnick begins fishing again and slowly he too begins to move forward. There are still days when Finnick will smash a plate and Katniss will cry and he will hold her tightly after she bandages his bleeding hands, but they become fewer in number. Night times are still the worst, but eventually they stop fucking and start making love. The day that Katniss finds out she's pregnant is the first day she doesn't cry.

_XI._

Finnick and Katniss have a beautiful baby boy and neither of them suggest naming him either Peeta or Haymitch. The combined Victor's money and their independent lifestyle ensure that neither of them has to work. Instead they spend their days teaching their son how live and how to love. He has Katniss's hair and Finnick's eyes. Katniss still gets nightmares and Finnick has moments of rage, and sometimes they both cry, but they handle it. Their relationship is honest and passionate. They learn how to comfort each other. They learn not only how to survive, but how to live.


End file.
